Major Problems in Montana's CI-128 (the Abortion Initiative)
- September 26, 2024
The ignominious death of a critical educational choice case at the hands of a newly elected school board majority in Colorado dealt a serious blow to disadvantaged students nationwide. However, the debate about Blaine Amendments goes on. Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, a similar case in Montana, will get its day in court on
READ MOREThe Colorado Constitution’s ban on aid to “sectarian” institutions flatly violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
READ MOREA wise man once said that all politics is local. Nowhere is that aphorism better illustrated than Douglas County, Colorado, where education politics and an ongoing constitutional fight over educational choice have converged to create perhaps the most consequential school board election in modern American history. Here, in a largely suburban county thousands of miles removed from the national stage of Washington, D.C., the futures of tens of thousands of students across America may well be decided.
READ MOREMore than three dozen states have some type of Blaine clause in their state constitutions. These problematic clauses prohibit government aid to “sectarian” institutions. Though this language has been euphemized to stand for the “separation of church and state,” such an outlook misinterprets the religious protections outlined in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution
READ MOREAs people who follow education reform already know, the Colorado Supreme Court recently struck down the Douglas County school board’s school choice program. It did so based on Article IX, Section 7 of the state constitution. This is sometimes called Colorado’s “Blaine Amendment,” although that phrase is technically a misnomer. Actually, the Blaine Amendment was
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